The mouth or oral cavity 10 of a human is illustrated in FIG. 1A to provide context for the invention. The mouth, or oral cavity, is bounded by muscles and bones: anteriorly by the lips 12, posteriorly continuous with the oropharynx, laterally by the muscles of the cheeks 14, superiorly by the body hard palate and muscular soft palate 16; and inferiorly by the muscular tongue 18 and the soft tissues of the floor of the mouth. The tongue is a voluntary muscular structure that occupies the floor of the mouth. Teeth 20 are embedded in the alveoli or sockets of alveolar ridges of the mandible 30 which forms a mandibular arch 32, or alveolar process, which contain the lower (caudad) set of teeth and maxilla 40 which forms a maxillary arch 42, or alveolar process, which contains the upper (cephalad) set of teeth. Each of the alveolar arch 32, 42, has an external surface 34, 44 which is adjacent the checks and lips and an internal surface 36, 46 adjacent the tongue and palate. The teeth 20 engage the gingival tissue 22.
The mouth 10 has salivary glands that secrete about 1.5 L of fluid daily into the mouth. Secretion of saliva is controlled by the autonomic nervous system. Parasympathetic stimulation causes vasodilation and secretion of water saliva with low enzyme content, whereas sympathetic stimulation cases vasoconstriction and secretion of smaller amounts of saliva that are richer in organic materials. Reflex secretion occurs when, for example, there is food in the mouth.
Devices and systems currently known and used in the dental arts include those disclosed in: U.S. Pat. No. 4,695,253 to Tysse for Oral Evacuation Device and Method; U.S. Pat. No. 6,981,870 to Heasley for Rubber Dam Clamps Retained by Adhesion and Improved Frictional Forces; U.S. Pat. No. 6,022,214 to Hirsch et al. for Intraoral Illumination Device and Method of Using Same; U.S. Pat. No. 5,931,673 to Bobolan for Intraoral Dental Dam; U.S. Pat. No. 5,890,899 to Sclafani for Dental Isolator; U.S. Pat. No. 5,516,286 to Kushner for Dental Isolation Tray Particularly Suited for Use When Applying Dental Sealants and Method for Its Use; U.S. Pat. No. 5,460,524 to Anderson for Device and Method for Saliva Suction with Tongue Retractor and Bit Handle; U.S. Pat. No. 5,078,604 to Malmin for Dental Barrier Drape Devices and Retainer Apparatus Therefor; U.S. Pat. No. 5,037,298 to Hickham for Apparatus and Improves Process for Removing Saliva While Retracting Cheeks and Lips; U.S. Pat. No. 4,899,490 to Jenkinson for Dental Mask; U.S. Pat. No. 4,215,477 to Shanel for Holder for Rubber Dental Dam; U.S. Pat. No. 3,772,790 to Swan-Gett et al. for Tooth Isolating Shield; U.S. Patent Publication US 2004/0170945 to Heasley for General Field Isolation Rubber Dams without Operative Inserts Which Isolate the Dental Alveolar Arch for Dental Treatment; and US 2007/0231773 to Pontynen et al. for Methods, Devices, Systems, and Kits for Isolating Teeth.
Commercially available devices include, for example, Isolite i2 by Isolyte Systems (Santa Barbara, Calif.), described at www.isolitesystems.com; OptiDam by KerrHawe SA (Switzerland), described at www.kerrhawe.com; and OptraGate and OptraDam by IvoClar Vivident Ltd. (New Zealand), described at www.ivoclar.co.nz.
It would be beneficial to have a device, system, assembly, kit and method that enables dental practitioners to quickly retract tissue and isolate one or more teeth and/or gingival tissue in the oral cavity from surrounding tissue to generate a working field and which maintains a dry working field for performing the dental procedure.